Week 28 Day 5 – Contentment and Daily Bread

Read the following Proverbs and summarize what our attitude should be toward wealth.

Proverbs 30:8-9

Proverbs 15:17

Proverbs 16:8

Proverbs 23:4-5

The real thrust and inspiration for today’s devotional comes from Proverbs 30:8-9. In these verses, what request is the writer making of God?

What does v. 9 indicate as the trap of wealth? What is the trap of poverty?

Food for thought:

As we have been studying through the Old Testament one recurring theme has been that of daily bread. God supplied the needs of the Israelites in the desert by giving them manna every morning. They could not store up the manna for the next day because it would rot over night. Every day they would wake up and rely completely on the grace of God to feed them. Then they would go to bed with nothing. That is how God works. If we are completely surrendered to Him, then He will keep us on the edge relying on Him for everything.

Read v. 9 again. Doesn’t it make sense? If we have wealth — a solid job with a stable company, a nice retirement program, a college fund for the kids, two cars with insurance, a great health package — then it would be very easy to slip into a sense of false security. “Aha!” says the person who abhors the American corporate society. “See”, they say, “we should throw it all away and live in poverty for Jesus. We should be like the monks or Mother Theresa and live in poverty.” This is not really what the Bible teaches either. People like Mother Theresa are not actually poor. Their basic needs — food, clothing, housing — is being provided by the corporate Roman Catholic Church. A truly impoverished person is a person who has nothing, is starving, and cannot help themselves. These people are consumed with the idea of getting the next meal and their mind is not at peace and free to think about loving God and loving their neighbor. According to v. 9 it is not good to rich or poor. The key is to be simple.

Father, give us our daily bread. May we not be consumed with protecting our wealth or getting our basic needs met. May we experience the peace that comes from knowing that everything is in your hands and that you will never let us down. Help us to simplify our lives in order to free up space to serve you with all that we are.